Green Eggs and Ham (Paleo Avocado Deviled Eggs)

First things first, the storms that passed through the Midwest last night and are still passing through have thankfully been nothing more than a nuisance. The kids were naturally both up and though the thunder and rain was drowned out by the white noise machines we have all over the house, the near-constant lightning seeped through every crack and crevice and made sleep near impossible. Other things that make sleep impossible? A 35-lb sack of elbows in your gut or a tiny ass pressed into your back.

Both kids were restless with the storms in our bed last night, so we decided to split and I took Sawyer into Charlotte’s room and brought him in the bottom bunk with me. We put blankets up around the windows to help ease the flash of the lightning and finally seemed to settle around 1 am. However, there was no settling with a three-year old in an already-uncomfortable twin bed. Needless to say, I’m considering snorting my coffee this morning and both Mike and I and the kids are in pisspoor moods. I’m pretty sure someone has been crying nonstop since 8 am, but I can’t tell you who because I’ve entered the “Momma doesn’t care as long as no one has lost an eye or is bleeding from an artery” zone.

Anyway, I made this recipe last week after I got into a Twitter discussion on the best way to make hard boiled eggs. If you use farm fresh eggs like we do, you’ve probably noticed they are way harder to peel than the store ones. (My favorite place to get local eggs is Miss Effie’s farm and they’re literally only a few hours old when I get them!). This is because the ones in the store are older due to transit times, etc., and older eggs tend to hard boil better. Here’s why:

In fresh eggs, the albumen (egg white) tends to stick to the inner shell membrane due to the less acidic environment of the egg. After the eggshell’s protective coat slowly wears off, the egg becomes porous, absorbs more air, and releases some of its carbon dioxide. This makes the albumen more acidic, causing it to stick to the inner membrane less. The egg white also shrinks slightly, so the air space between the eggshell and the membrane grows larger, resulting in boiled eggs that are easier to peel

But eggs don’t last in my house. There’s no such thing as “a week-old egg” – we go through 3-5 dozen a week, easy. So I tried every method out there supposedly to help make a farm fresh egg easier to hard boil – poking holes, baking, boiling on high, boiling on low, etc. – and always ended up with impossible to peel eggs or the yolk was a gross black color. A few months ago Mike and I even broke down and bought this Cuisinart Egg Cooker. I thought I was insane. We were spending money on a uni-tasker (the horror!) that did something as simple as hard-boil eggs? But it worked like magic. And it turns out all it did was steam them (after a tiny hole was poked in the bottom).

So I took to experimenting with my own steamer. It took a while to figure out the boiling speeds and times to get the eggs just right but I did and now when we make hard-boiled eggs, they peel super easy, usually in just one or two pieces and the yolk is bright yellow and perfect. And because I love you all, I made a video on how to do this. Never again will you stand over sink with tiny shards of egg shell or have a brown egg salad from the sulfur. You’re welcome. (Now send me gifts).

In case you missed the exact instructions and don’t want to go back and listen to my amazing voice again, here’s how you do it.

How to Make the Perfect Hard-Boiled Egg

Place the eggs in a steamer basket like so:

Cover with a lid and bring to a fast rolling boil for five minutes exactly – set a timer if you have to. Then lower to a simmer boil for 15 minutes. Remove and place immediately in an ice bath:

Now that you’ve got a perfect egg, here’s the recipe I made with them which is perfect for getting in the extra healthy fat I need when off of sugar to keep my hunger at bay.

Recipe: Green Eggs and Ham (Paleo Avocado Deviled Eggs)

Ingredients

12 hard-boiled eggs

1 medium avocado

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. celery seed

1/2 tsp. onion powder

2 tbsp. mayo (homemade is best)

1 tsp. dijon mustard (or 1/2 tsp. mustard powder)

4 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped

Instructions

Slice eggs in half lengthwise, remove yolks and place in bowl.

Place the hollowed-out eggs on a platter facing up.

Add avocado and other ingredients to the bowl and mash with a fork until creamy.

Add mix to ziploc bag, squeeze all air out, and make sure it’s sealed very well.

Comments

Glad steaming works for you! I tried it, found times listed as anything from 8 to 20 minutes, so your 5 seems amazingly short! I steamed for 10. They shelled fine but I’d bought eggs in advance as older eggs always peel better) and there was a dot of not quite done in the middle of the yolk.

No, you have to steam on high for five minutes, and then on a simmer boil for 15 minutes, with a total cooking time of 20 mins. Then immerse immediately in an ice bath to halt the cooking process.
For soft boiled eggs, you can cut the simmer boil to 8-10 mins

They look delish. I love deviled eggs, but have never had them with avocado and bacon.
I bring my eggs to a boil, then shut the heat off immediately and let them sit for exactly 10 minutes, and then submerge them in cold water. I guess there’s more than one way to go about it. 🙂

The best way I’ve tried to cook eggs comes from Alton Brown. Using an electric kettle( one that has a big enough lid you can get your hand in),
put your eggs in, add water, and flip the switch. Once it hits a boil it will automatically turn off, start your timer. 10 mins for soft and creamy, 15 min for a harder set. Ice bath when done. Perfectly cooked eggs every time.

I love eggs, deviled eggs and avocado, my husband does not….so much more for me…
I would love to sign up for email for the whole site, rather than individual recipes; is that possible?
It would be great to have a monthly update to subscribe to.